“Excuse me.” I turn around to glare at him. “Is that how you speak to me?”
Trevor’s teeth flash between his lips. “I’m not afraid of you. Are we picking up Harper?”
My heart does a familiar dip and dive at the sound of Harper’s name.
“Obviously, we’re picking up my boyfriend.”
Trevor slaps his hands on the driver and passenger seat, leaning between the console to look at Eli. “I know something you don’t know.”
Eli turns confused eyes on Trevor. “What?”
Trevor pinches Eli’s cheek with a warm grin but doesn’t say anything else. When we pull up in front of Harper’s house, I leave the boys in the car to greet Harper in private. I type in the code that Harper assigned to me, pressing into the dark house. Honey greets me with wiggles just as Harper rounds the corner.
His hair is up in a bun, and a few tendrils are hanging loose around his face. Dressed in dark jeans, a maroon henley, and black Converse, he’s the hottest man on the earth. He arches an eyebrow in question as he slips on his leather jacket.
“What’s that look for?” Harper asks around a chuckle.
I back him up against the wall and kiss his smiling mouth. Carefully cradling his face in the palm of my hands, I tilt his head until I get the angle I want so that I can lick into his mouth to savor the taste of him. Harper’s fingers dig into my neck, holding me close, wanting me just as much as I want him.
When I pull away from his mouth, he chuckles darkly, and his warm breath floats across my cheekbone.
“Hello to you too,” Harper says, voice low, and decidedly sultry.
I softly nuzzle my nose against his cheek. “You are so beautiful.”
“So you’ve said.”
“Perfect.”
“Shut up.”
“I’d burn the world for you,” I dig the hole deeper.
“I’m going to murder you and no one will find your body.”
With a loud laugh, I tug Harper out of the house towards the car. Eli moved to the back seat with Trevor, leaving the passenger seat for Harper. As usual, I buckle Harper in, catching the slight flush across his cheekbones at my undivided attention in front of my friends. Honey hops into the back, happily sitting between Eli and Trevor with her service vest on. A flush of pride moves through my chest at the sight of my best friends dutifully ignoring Honey as she works.
The boys chat among themselves while I drive, but I’m too focused on Harper’s warm hand on my thigh to pay attention to anything they say. It feels like such a huge step for him to show me any attention that others might see.
A decent crowd covers the farm as we make our way onto the property. Harper keeps his hand in mine, pointing out things that only someone who's been here a million times would know. The joy on his face brings me to life. I squeeze his hand hard enough for him to look over at me, a question on his face.
“You trust me, right?” I ask softly.
Harper frowns deeply. “Of course, Jackson.”
“I have this idea for your Christmas present. But you’ll have to trust me. Okay?”
“Alright,” Harper agrees warily, looking around at the crowd. “Is it happening right now?”
Chuckling, I swing my arm around his shoulder to tug him against my side. He fits perfectly. “No, punk. It’s not happening right now. Maybe next weekend. Is that fake snow?”
Harper grunts in confirmation. “It’s soap, but the kids love it. Santa comes at night, or sometimes the Grinch.”
The sky is a lovely pink and purple, and the Christmas lights twinkle as the air around us darkens. A screech from Eli pulls my attention towards him just in time to see him launch himself intoColby’s arms. Colby grins wide, chuckling as he holds Eli tight to him. A moment later, Beau appears with a small smile and wave. Trevor tips up on his toes to kiss Beau, a much gentler reaction to the sight of his boyfriend than Eli.
Both men are dressed in Clay Road Farms work attire, meaning ratty jeans and brand-new T-shirts.
“Beau, in twenty years, are you going to be Santa?” Harper teases with a wicked smirk.
